Mother Knows Best

July 15, 2019
This fascinating psychological thriller from Peikoff (Living Proof) opens with Michael and Claire Burke driving from their home in Garrison, N.Y., with their daughter, fifth-grader Abby, to New York City to visit the Museum of Natural History, the favorite place of Claire’s son, Colton, whose death at age eight a decade earlier was caused by a genetic defect in his mitochondrial DNA. Flash back to the period after Colton’s death. Claire is terrified to have another child with the same defect, so she and her new husband, Michael, consult a fertility specialist who has been able to produce healthy fetuses by, contrary to federal law, replacing damaged mitochondrial genes. The doctor’s in vitro treatment results in Abby’s birth, though her parents have never told Abby how she was conceived. Now, Abby has a surprise for her parents, and when they arrive at the museum, Claire is devastated to see that the surprise is J, who lives in her mind “like a bloody knife deep underground.” Why Abby’s parents have kept her genetic history secret and why Claire fears the mysterious J will keep the reader turning the pages. Peikoff expertly exposes the dark side of contemporary medical science. Agent: Erica Silverman, Trident Media.

August 1, 2019

A medical procedure that isn't actually legal and the ramifications of this experiment propel this latest medical thriller by Peikoff (Die Again Tomorrow; No Time To Die). Claire Adams lost her young boy to a rare genetic disease and is terrified to have another child. With her husband's blessing, she visits a fertility specialist who promises he can help. She knows that he has developed a procedure in the lab that combines healthy DNA from two different women to form one healthy egg and asks to be the first for the clinical test on a human patient. Eleven years later, a young girl named Abby decides to take one of those DNA tests by mail. Her curiosity will start a cascade that will change her life forever. VERDICT Peikoff alternates the story between Abby and the events from years earlier while maintaining the suspense. She also can make complex scientific procedures comprehensible for even the nonscientist. Medical thriller fans of Michael Palmer and Robin Cook will want to check this out.--Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2019
A renowned fertility doctor and a brilliant researcher skirt the law to attempt a groundbreaking feat of genetic engineering. Claire and Ethan Abrams were devastated when they lost their 8-year-old son, Colton, to mitochondrial disease, and Claire's grief took her to some very dark places. Three years after his death, Ethan convinced Claire to try in vitro fertilization, but Claire is hesitant since it was her genetics that caused Colton's condition. Enter Dr. Robert Nash. Claire has heard rumors of a breakthrough that replaces damaged mitochondrial DNA in an embryo, resulting in a (presumably) healthy child, but testing the procedure on a human would be illegal because it would result in a baby with three genetic parents. This doesn't stop Claire, and she sets up a meeting with Dr. Nash, who reluctantly consents to use her as his test subject, with a donation of healthy mitochondrial DNA from Jillian Hendricks, a cunning up-and-coming scientist. Claire is thrilled to get pregnant, but her joy is short lived when Ethan finds out what they've done and notifies the authorities, sending Claire and Nash on the run while leaving Jillian to pay the price. But that was then. Now Abigail, Claire's daughter, is in fifth grade, and Robert and Claire, who have since fallen in love, are living under assumed names, terrified that their secret will come out. After an incident on an outing with Abby, their quiet lives take an alarming turn. Claire keeps seeing a child that looks just like Colton, someone tries to break into their isolated home, and the inquisitive Abby, who has been researching her own genetic ties for a school project, is about to find how special she really is. Peikoff (Living Proof, 2012, etc.) deftly juggles past and present and multiple voices in short, punchy chapters that create a sense of urgency while exploring grief, motherhood, the bonds of family, and the complicated implications of genetic modification with a sure hand. Readers should also expect a few nifty twists along the way. An engaging and timely thriller that offers lots of food for thought.

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